Wall type power-operated can opener



Aug. 8, 1961 F. E. ABERER WALL TYPE POWER-OPERATED CAN OPENER 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 14, 1960 INVENTOR.

nae/m4 Aug. 8, 1961 F. E. ABERER WALL TYPE 'PowER-oPERATEn CAN OPENER 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 14, 1960 INVENTOR.

United States Patent 2,994,953 WALL TYPE POWER-OPERATED CAN OPENER FrankE. Aberer, Kansas City, Kans., assignor to John C. Hooker-y, trustee forHenry J. Talge and Foster L.

Talge, Independence, h/Io.

Filed Jan. 14, 1960, Ser. No. 2,442 7 Claims. (Cl. 30-4) This inventionrelates to power-operated can openers and refers more particularly toone in which the power drive is actuated by the lever arm which engagesthe cutter and feed wheels with the can.

An object of the invention is to provide a power operated can openerwith a simple, positive, powerful lever action for engaging andinitially cutting the top of the can.

Another object of the invention is to provide a poweroperated can openerwhich does not trip the motor to rotate the engaged can and cut it untilthe can has been punctured.

Another object of the invention is to provide a poweroperated can openerwhich is exceedingly simple in construction, relatively cheap tomanufacture, rugged and can withstand long operation and use withoutnecessity for repair or replacement.

Another object of the invention is to provide a simply constructedpower-operated can opener which is easy to disassemble and wherein allof the parts are readily accessible for cleaning, replacement or repair.

Another object of the invention is to provide a poweroperated can openerwherein the lever which manipulates the cutting and can feeding wheelsrelative to one another also actuates, when forced to a certainposition, the power driving apparatus for automatic cutting of the can.

Another object of the invention is to provide a poweroperated can openerwherein the arm which actuates the power drive is normally resilientlybiased away from the on position and release of force thereon afteractuation automatically switches off the power drive.

Other and further objects of the invention will appear in the course ofthe following description thereof.

In the drawings, which form a part of the instant specification and areto be read in conjunction therewith, embodiments of the invention areshown and, in the various views, like numerals are employed to indicatelike parts.

FIG. 1 is a front view of the upper end of a can opener embodying theinvention with the actuating arm at the extreme open position whereby toseparate a maximum distance the cutter and feed wheels.

FIG. 2 is a view similar to that of FIG. 1 showing in full lines theactuating arm at the opposite extreme from that of FIG. 1 with thecutter and feed wheels together (when a can is not engaged between thecutter and feed wheels) and with the actuating arm depressed to operatethe power switch in dotted lines.

FIG. 3 is a rear view of an entire power-operated can opener embodyingthe invention, with a portion of the spur gear cut away to betterillustrate the arrangement of the parts, the view showing the actuatingarm and associated parts in the relationship assumed when a can is firstengaged between the cutter and feed wheel before application of force toinitially pierce the can.

FIG. 4 is a partial rear view of the upper portion of the can openersimilar to FIG. 3 (but with the spur gear and motor drive shaft removed)showing the relationship assumed by the actuating arm and associationparts when force just short of that necessary to pierce the can isapplied.

FIG. 5 is a rear view similar to that of FIG. 4 but showing therelationship of the actuating arm and associated parts immediately afterpiercing of the can, but before application of further force to actuatethe power switch.

FIG. 6 is a rear view smiilar to that of FIG. 5, but with the actuatingarm sufliciently depressed so as to actuate the power switch and powercut the can engaged between the cutter wheel and the feed wheel.

FIG. 7 is a side view of the top of the can opener from the right inFIG. 4, showing the actuating arm in relationship to the power switch.

FIG. 8 is a. view showing the engagement of the actuating arm and firstlever arm from a front view taken of the upper right hand corner of theopener in FIG. 1 with the housing cut away.

Referring first to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, a frame or housing is providedhaving front plate or wall 19, side walls 11 and 12, top wall 13 andbottom wall 14. A rear cover of one type or another is furnished, butdoes not form a part of the instant invention or a part of the frameworkupon which the operating parts are hung. Both side walls, the top walland bottom wall are fixed to or integral with the front plate or wall19.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a recessed slideway 15 is formed in thefront wall or plate 19. Top Wall 13 overlies the upper end of theslideway 15, while a ledge 16 underlies the lower end of the slideway. Apair of slots 17 and 18 (see FIGS. 4-6) extend through the floor of theslideway 15.

Slide 19 (FIGS. 1 and 2) of thickness equal to the depth of slideway 15,is positioned in the slideway 15 for vertical movement therein. Slide 19is of only slightly lesser width than the slideway 15 whereby to slidein precise fashion therein, while'its length is that distance less thanthe total length of the slideway which it is desired that the cutter andfeed wheels be movable apart. Slot '20'is ormed through slide 19substantially centrally thereof and runs vertically therein. CutterWheel 21 is mounted so its lower edge is canted inwardly to the slide 19in well known fashion by securing it to an angled post (not shown) bybolt 22. The post is mounted on an outwardly faired portion 23 of theslide 19. 1 Conventional posts 24 and 25 are mounted on each side of thecutter wheel 21 whereby to properly position the can edge for thecutting operation. These posts are fixed to the slide 19 and extendoutwardly therefrom along side the cutter wheel. An opening 26 is formedthrough the slide 19 above the cutter wheel to receive a shaft to bedescribed. A shelf 27 projecting at right angles to the slide outer faceprojects from the lower edge of the slide immediately below the cutterwheel 21 and slot 20 whereby to properly position the body of a canangularly relative to the wheels engaging it in the process of cuttingthe can. Referring to FIGS. 4-6, inclusive, rearwardly extending flanges28 and 29 are fixed to the rear face of the slide 19, extend throughslots 17 and 18, respectively, and have downwardly extending legportions 28a and 29a which overlie and slide against the rear face ofthe front wall 10 and rear face of the slideway 15 in vertical up anddown motion of the slide 19.

Referring to FIGS. 46, an opening 30 through the front wall 10 andslideway 15 receives a cylindrical journal 31 which extends beyond theface of slideway 15 and L; is received in slot 29 of slide 19 to anoutward extension substantially that of the face of the slide 19. Thus,up and down movement of slide 19 is limited both by impingement upon theupper wall 13 and lower shelf 16 and the impingement of the upper andlower ends of slots 20 upon the journal 31.

A drive shaft 32 is rotatably received within the journal 31 and hasfeed wheel 33 removably threaded upon the front end thereof whichextends adjacent the slide 19 and spur gear 34 fixedly attached to theother end thereof. The front face of the spur gear 34 is adjacent therear end of the journal 31 and a suitable spring encircling journal 31abutting the front face of the spur gear 34 may be provided toresiliently retain the feed wheel in frictional sliding contact with thefront end of the journal 31. The teeth of spur gear 34 are engaged by aworm 35 on drive shaft 36 driven by suitable electric motor or otherpower source 37 which is mounted at an angle on platform 38 supported bylower wall '14, engaged by flange 39 bolted by bolts 48 to front wall10. The electric lines for the motor are not shown, but this isconventional.

A shaft 41 is received in previously mentioned opening 26 in slide 19where it is fixed to the slide and vertically movable therewith. Shaft41 extends through a slot 42 formed in the floor of slideway 15. A firstlever arm extending essentially transverse to the vertical center offront wall 19, designated at 43 has an opening (not shown) through whichextends shaft 41 to a distance therepast in the rearward direction. Aclip 44 fixed to the rearward end of shaft 41 confines a resilientspring 45 between the front face of the clip and the rear face of firstlever arm 43, thus biasing lever arm 43 toward the front plate or wall10. This resilient bias forces the first lever arm 43 against a pair ofbars 46 and 47 formed rearwardly from the floor of slideway 15 on therear face thereof.

Thus it is seen that,the slide 19 in slideway 15 is retained against theslideway front face or surface by the action of spring 45 on shaft 41with legs 28a and 29a engaging the rear face of the slideway 15 insliding motion, as Well.

The left-hand end of first leverarm 43 (as seen in FIGS. 3-6, inclusive)has spur gear teeth 43a formed therein as seen in FIG. 8. Slot 48 isformed in the righthand end of first lever arm 43 as seen in FIGS. 3-6,inclusive, to receive stud or rod 49 attached to front wall (rear face).Opening 50 in the right-hand end of first lever arm 43 receives one endof resilient coil spring 51, the other end. thereof being hooked aroundstud 52 also fixed to the rear face of front wall 10.

.Actuating arm or second lever arm 53 comprises a flat piece ofmaterial, preferably metal, which is pivotally mounted on bolt 54, thelatter being received in an internally threaded opening (not shown) onthe rear side of front wall 19. The arm or lever 53 lies in back offirst lever arm 43. It is also received in slot 55 which extendsentirely across the top wall 13 and down side walls 11 and 12, thelatter to a'lesser extent, the former to the extent required by theposition in FIGS. 1 (the most extreme) and 3. Flange 56 extends at rightangles to lever arm 53 and, when in the positions of FIGS. 2 and 6, toactuate the switch, extends in a substantially horizontal orientation.Fixed to the front'side (FIG. 8) of second lever arm or actuating arm 53is a metal flange piece 57 having spur gear teeth 58 formed thereon soas to engage spur gear teeth 43a on first lever arm 43. Teeth 58 are soarranged that, when the second lever arm 53 is rotated or pivoted in acounterclockwise direction in FIGS. 3-6, it raises the left-hand end offirst lever arm 43 in the same views and lowers the same in clockwiserotation in the same views.

A clip 59 is riveted or otherwise fixedly attached to the lower face ofupper wall 13, and has downwardly depending flange 60 to receive inabutment a rear Wall.

Switch 61 is fixed to clip 59 by bolts 62 and has a spring loadedplunger 63 extending through an opening (not shown) in the top wall 13.Suitable electrical connections 64 connect to the power source orelectric motor 37. Plunger 63 is so positioned, as may be seen in FIG.7, to be engaged by flange 56 when the latter is sufiiciently depressedtoward the top wall 13 of the can opener.

The basic operating positions are as follows, the operation describedtherewith:

(1) With the view taken from the rear as in FIGS. 3-6 and with theactuating arm or second lever arm 56 in the position of FIG. 1, theengaged spur gears between the two lever arms have moved the engaged(left) end of the first lever arm 43 up as far as possible, thus movingthe slide-lever engaging shaft to the top of slot 42 and moving theslide plate to the top of its channel or slideway. At the opposite endof the first lever arm, stud 49 and the top of slot 48 on that side,firmly engage with spring51 pulling that end of the arm firmlydownwardly. Thus, from the rear view, the right end of the first leverarm is as low as possible, the left end of the engaging arm is as highas possible, slide 19 is at its uppermost position and wheel 21 is freeof wheel 35 to receive a can.

(2) The second position involves the motion of the actuating or secondlever arm 56 from the position of FIG. 1 to that of FIG. 2, if no can isengaged, or FIG. 4 if a can is engaged. In FIG. 2, we are seeing arm 56in the position it would take without a can between the cutter and feedwheel when the first lever arm, by action of the engaged spur gears 58and 43a is moved downwardly to the position where the top of slot 29 inthe slide plate 19 abuts the journal 31 and the bottom of slide plate 19abuts shelf 16. This is as low as slide plate 19 can go. However, bydepressing the second lever arm 53 until its flange 56 is substantiallyfiat on the top wall 13, first lever arm 43 can be rotated aroundcentral shaft 41 penetrating it, against the action of resilient spring51 to where stud 49 in slot 48 at the other end of the first lever armis about midway thereof. There is no particular significance to thisposition as far as can cutting or piercing goes, but above is theaction.

(3) Looking at FIGS. 3, 4 and 5, in FIG. 3 is seen the position ofsecond lever arm 53 when a can rim has just been engaged between and bycutter wheel 21 and feed wheel 33. First lever arm 43 has been geareddownwardly from its previously described extreme upward position on theleft end to an intermediateposition while insufficient force has beenapplied to the engaged can to cause the right-hand end to rise againstspring 51. FIG. 4 then shows the position to which it is probable thatthe actuating arm may rotate clockwise and first lever arm 43 may riseon the right side against spring 51 before the can is pierced. This isdue tothe resistance of the metal of the can to cutter wheel 21. FIG. 5shows the next stage with the can actually pierced with operator handpressure maintained at the same level. Note that the right-hand end offirst engaging lever 43 has dropped so stud 49 is at the top of slot 48under action of spring 51, while the actuating arm 53 remains ataboutthe level of FIG. 4. Further application of force to the main actuatingarm lowers it to contact the switch plunger 63 and start the motor. Notethat, in FIG. 6, the gearing action on the left-hand side of first leverarm 43 has raised the right-hand end thereof against the action ofspring 51 so stud 49 is about midway in slot 48.

(4) Release of the actuating arm 53 permits the action of spring 51 topull the right side of first lever arm 43 down, thus gearing up theupper actuating arm to the position of FIG. 5 if the can is stillengaged or that of FIG. 1 if the can is removed.

(5) Vertical irregularities in the can rim encountered during cutting ofthe can, when the feed wheel drives the rim of the can in cuttingengagement with the cutter wheel, is compensated for by verticalmovement of the can cutter wheel, slide 19 upon which it is mounted, andfirst lever arm 43 through its right-hand end as viewed in FIGS. 4-6,against the action of spring 51. Shaft 41 connected to the rear face ofslide '19 moves vertically in slot 42, in. this action. The cutter wheelbeing of the form shown in my application Serial No. 706,608, filedJanuary 2, 1958, entitled Power-Operated Can Opener, which issued intoPatent No. 2,902,757 on September 8, 1959, has a rearward portionthereof, not shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, which rides on the top edge of thecan rim. Limited in and out movement of cutter wheel 21 and, thus, plate19, to compensate for in and out variation in the can rim while the canis being cut, is provided by virtue of the hinge mounting of plate 19,with its lower end secured by flanges 28a and 29a in slots 18 and 19 andthe resilient mounting of post 41 which is attached to the rear face ofplate 19 at one end and has resilient spring 45 mounted on the other.

From the foregoing it will be seen that this invention is one welladapted to attain all of the ends and objects hereinabove set forthtogether with other advantages which are obvious and which are inherentto the struc ture.

It will be understood that certain features and subcombinations are ofutility and may be employed without reference to other features andsubcombinations. This is contemplated by and is within the scope of theclaims.

As many possible embodiments may be made of the invention withoutdeparting from the scope thereof, it is to be understood that all matterherein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to beinterpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a power operated can opener, a plate having front and rear facesand upper and lower ends, a substantially vertical slideway formed inthe front face of said plate, a slide received in said slideway adaptedto move vertically therein, a journal received in and extending throughan opening through said plate and having a portion thereof extendingthrough a slot in said slide, a drive shaft rotatably received in saidjournal and extending entirely therethrough, a feed wheel on the end ofsaid drive shaft next said slide, a cutter wheel rotatably mounted onsaid slide for vertical movement therewith, means for driving said driveshaft positioned adjacent to said plate, a first lever arm mounted onthe rear face of said plate, a slide-lever engaging shaft extendingthrough a slot in said plate, attached to the slide at one end thereof,and connected to the first lever arm subv stantially centrally thereof,a second lever arm, means mounting the second lever arm on the rear faceof said plate for pivotal movement around one end thereof adjacent oneend of the first lever arm, means engaging the pivotal end of the secondlever arm with the adjacent end of the first lever arm whereby pivotalmovement of the second arm in one direction raises the engaged end ofthe first lever arm and pivotal movement in the opposite directionlowers the engaged end of the first lever arm, and actuating meansoperated by the second lever arm for starting and stopping said drivingmeans.

2. Apparatus as in claim 1 including means connected to the slide-leverengaging shaft resilently biasing the first lever arm toward the rearface of the plate.

3. Apparatus as in claim 1 wherein the means engaging the second andfirst lever arms comprises a pair of spur gear portions engaging oneanother.

4. Apparatus as in claim 3 wherein the second lever arm is mounted onthe side of the first lever arm away from said plate and the spur gearportion on the second lever arm is fixed to the side thereof next theinside face of the flout wall so that the first lever arm slides againstthe said second lever arm side.

5. Apparatus as in claim 1 including resilient means biasing the end ofthe first lever arm on the other side of the slide-lever engaging shaftfrom the engagement of the two lever arms normally downwardly, a slot inthe first lever arm on the end thereof biased downwardly, and means onthe rear side of the plate extending into the last-mentioned slotwhereby to limit the downward movement of the first lever arm underaction of the resilient biasing means.

6. In a power operated can opener, a frame, including a vertical frontplate and horizontal top wall, said front plate having fiont and rearfaces and upper and lower ends, the upper end connected to saidhorizontal top wall, a substantially vertical slideway formed in thefront of said plate, a slide received in said slideway adapted to movevertically therein, a journal received in and extending through anopening through said plate and having a portion thereof extendingthrough a slot in said slide, a drive shaft rotatably received in saidjournal and extending entirely through said journal, a feed wheel on theend of said drive shaft next said slide, a cutter wheel rotatablymounted on said slide for vertical movement therewith, means fordrivingsaid drive shaft positioned adjacent to said plate, means formoving said slide and cutter wheel up and down relative to said shaftand feed wheel including an actuating arm having a portion thereofreceived in a slot through said horizontal top wall and a flange thereonextending at all substantially normal to the plane of said plate,actuating means operated by said flange for starting and stopping saiddriving means including a switch fixed to the inside surface of the topwall and having an actuating plunger spring biased to a normal ofiposition extending through an opening in said top wall, the flange onthe actuating arm engaging the switch actuating plunger when theactuating arm is moved to a position substantially parallel to the topwall.

7. In a power operated can opener, a frame including a substantiallyvertical front plate and horizontal top wall, said plate having frontand rear faces and upper and lower ends, a substantially verticalslideway formed in the front face of said plate, a slide received insaid slideway adapted to move vertically therein, a journal received inand extending through an opening through said plate and having a portionthereof extending through a slot in said slide, a drive shaft rotatablyreceived in said journal and extending entirely through said journal, afeed wheel on an end of said drive shaft next said slide, a cutter wheelrotatably mounted on said slide for vertical movement therewith, meansfor driving said drive shaft positioned adjacent to said plate in saidframe, a first lever arm mounted on the rear face of said plate, aslide-lever engaging-shaft extending through a slot in said plate,attached to the slide at one end, and connected to the first lever armsubstantially centrally thereof, a second lever arm, means mounting thesecond lever arm on the plate rear face for pivotal movement around oneend thereof adjacent one end of the first lever arm, means engaging thepivotally mounted end of the second lever arm with the adjacent end ofthe first lever arm whereby pivotal movement of the second arm in onedirection raises the engaged end of the first lever arm and pivotalmovement in the opposite direction lowers the engaged end of the firstlever arm, resilient means biasing the end of the first lever arm on theother side of the slidelever engaging shaft from the engagementdownwardly, a slot in the first lever arm on the end biased downwardly,means on the rear side of said plate extending into the last mentionedslot and limiting the downward movement of the first lever arm underaction of the resilient biasing means, said second lever arm received ina slot in said top wall whereby to permit said second lever arm to passinto said top wall, a flange on said second lever arm adapted to overlieclosely against said top wall when said second arm is in said slot, aswitch fixed relative to the inside surface of the top wall and havingan actuating plunger spring biased normally to off position extendingthrough an opening in the top wall, the horizontal flange on the secondlever arm engaging the switch actuating plunger when the second leverarm is sufiiciently forced into said slot in the top wall, the drivingmeans for said drive shaft including a power source actuated by saidswitch.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTSJeppsson Feb. 5, 1935 Straub et a1 Apr. 26, 1955 Bristol Apr. 28, 1959Aberer Sept. 8, 1959

